Embodiments of the invention relate generally to diagnostic imaging and, more particularly, to a walk-through type imaging system having a linear x-ray source and detector arrangement configured to acquire x-ray imaging data from a subject.
Walk-through imaging systems for acquiring information about a subject have become an increasingly valuable tool in recent years, as such systems enable high-throughput, efficient imaging of a large number of subjects in a very cost effective manner. One example of the implementation of such walk-through imaging systems is their use as airport and anti-theft scanners. It is known, however, that such walk-through imaging systems are limited in the data that they acquire, in that they are designed only for the specific purpose of security or theft prevention. Thus, the purpose of these walk-through imaging systems is not to diagnose or provide health information to the individual, and such systems, in fact, lack that capability to provide health information to/about the individual.
Typically, in order to diagnose or provide health information to an individual, a more conventional medical imaging system is required. For example, a computed tomography (CT) imaging system is often implemented for diagnosing or providing health information to/about an individual. In many CT imaging systems, a subject lays supine within a bore of the imaging system, with an x-ray source and detector array being rotated about a CT gantry within an imaging plane and around the subject. The x-ray source emits a fan-shaped beam toward the subject that is attenuated and impinges upon an array of radiation detectors to generate image data, with three-dimensional data being reconstructed in the form of a number of slices through the subject.
While CT imaging systems and other conventional medical imaging systems provide detailed images of a subject that allow for the diagnosing and providing of health information to/about an individual, it is recognized that such systems are not capable of accommodating a large number of subjects in a timely manner. That is, the throughput of CT imaging systems and other conventional diagnostic imaging systems is limited based on the time required to position the patient for imaging. Conversely, and as set forth above, while walk-through imaging systems do provide a high-throughput of subjects, they currently lack the capability to diagnose or provide health information on an individual.
Therefore, it would be desirable to design a walk-through type imaging system capable of capturing image data that provides for diagnosing or providing health information to/about an individual. It would also be desirable for such a walk-through type imaging system to capture image data in such a way as to enable a patient to move through the system in an efficient and convenient manner, so as to provide high-throughput, efficient imaging of a large number of patients in a very cost effective manner.